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Back at 100 percent, Bennett hopes to hit stride again

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Michael Bennett (82) runs after a catch for a touchdown during the NCAA college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers in Athens, Ga., Sat., Sept. 29, 2012. Georgia won 51-44. (AJ Reynolds/Staff)

Michael Bennett gets the question everywhere he goes.

He heard it a lot last Saturday at Georgia’s Picture Day.

How’s the knee? His answer: It’s 100 percent.

“It’s good to know that people care,” Bennett said. “It’s a little annoying some times, I’m not going to lie, but it’s good to know that people care and want to know how you’re doing.”

Bennett says he’s all the way back from the torn ACL to his right knee he sustained in practice the Tuesday before the South Carolina game last Oct. 2.

The now-redshirt junior was just hitting his stride as a receiver, leading the Bulldogs in catches (24), receiving yards (345) and touchdown catches (four).

“It was real surreal how well I was doing,” Bennett said earlier this week. “You want to have that kind of confidence and know that you can do that. To actually see yourself as a top-five receiver in the SEC, leading in the team in receptions, it’s kind of surreal. You’ve got to stay grounded. I feel like my torn ACL kind of grounded me pretty well. Hopefully I can pick it back up this year.”

So the other pertinent question for Bennett: How’s his game now after rehabbing and working his way back?

“I feel like I still bring the same skill sets to the team,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got my footwork back and I feel like I’ve improved some too. Just being more comfortable with the offense, being more comfortable with the quarterbacks and understanding the defense better has really brought my game to a new level.”

Wide receivers coach Tony Ball echoed that assessment.

“He’s the same,” Ball said last week. “Michael’s got his confidence, Michael’s competing. I haven’t seen any apprehension in Michael.”

Bennett is back in the fold for a Georgia receiving corps that is deep. It includes Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Conley, Justin Scott-Wesley, Rantavious Wooten, Rhett McGowan and newcomers Jonathon Rumph and Reggie Davis.

Bennett has shed his knee brace and said he has the explosiveness back during the summer.

All the hard work on his road to recovery leads to the opener Aug. 31 at Clemson.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s been a really long time. That will be about 11 months since I’ve been on the field in a real game. I can’t wait. I think about it all the time. I just hope I can keep my nerves down when that first snap comes.”